First up, I want to remind everyone about my Goodreads Giveaway for Revenge Sex, West Coast Book 1! I’m giving away 50 epub copies! You need to be a member of Goodreads to participate, and the giveaway runs through May 10th! Goodreads is a fabulous way to learn about great books, with reviews by readers just like you! You can learn what people liked and disliked, and hopefully you’ll find some gems you’d never heard of before. Plus there’s the author giveaways. For the most part, those are print books, but they’re doing a new pilot program of ebooks. So get out and enter and let them know you want more ebook giveaways in future!
And on to my latest release. I absolutely love the cover Rae Monet made for me, very sexy. Double the Pleasure was my first erotic romance. I sold it to Liquidsilverbooks.com, and those wonderful people gave me my start. I then wrote the sequel, Skin Deep, about Kristin’s twin sister Kirby. Lo and behold, Berkley came along and wanted to buy both stories! They paired me with Susan Johnson for Twin Peaks. Both Double the Pleasure and Skin Deep won the Lories for erotic romance. I’m very happy to be able to give you the Prescott twins in ebook format for the first time in 7 years! Here’s a blurb and excerpt for your enjoyment. The excerpt I’m giving you is from Chapter 2.
One night, one chance, but will she have the courage...
Hitting the big 3-0 birthday like a brick wall, shy, reserved Kristin Prescott just has to break out of her sensible shoes and buttoned-up blouses and find herself a man. And the only one who will do is Ross Sloan, her sexy boss. The problem is, she isn't Ross's type; he prefers sensual, seductive women like her identical twin. But, Kristin isn't sure she can let go of her inhibitions.
Unless she pretends to be her sister.
Ross Sloan has lusted after his secretary, Kristin Prescott, since the moment she walked into his office. When she seduces him while playing the role of her twin sister, he sees through her masquerade immediately. But Ross wants both sides of Kristin: the prim, efficient woman who runs his office and the passionate woman she exposes in the guise of her sister. Forcing Kristin to release her inhibitions and claiming the desirable woman beneath the facade becomes his ambition.
But will the pleasure cost them their business relationship? Or can they have both?
Double the Pleasure
Prescott Twins, Book 1
Copyright 2012 Jasmine Haynes
Ross saw her the minute she entered the hotel bar. Miss Prescott. His Miss Prescott. In an exceptionally short red dress with an unbelievably gorgeous pair of thighs to match those calves, better even than he’d imagined. Reality certainly surpassed fantasy. Damn. That red dress...
It didn’t matter. In the morning she’d still be his secretary. And he needed her.
She turned, and her gaze traveled over the cluster of tables flanking the small dance floor. The bar was by no means full, and if she’d been looking, she couldn’t have missed him sitting at the far end of the counter.
She never even looked.
Just as well, it allowed him to observe every curve revealed by the brevity of her skirt. Her hair cascaded over shoulders covered only by the thin red straps of her dress. Oh, yeah, her hair was exactly the stuff of his fantasies, rich shades of reds and browns, curling softly over the tops of her breasts. Speaking of breasts, if he’d seen her like this in his office, he’d never have been able to keep his hands off her.
His heart stopped as she touched the red-and-black beaded choker at her throat. Just a brief caress. His eyes tracked the brush of her fingers down the slender line of her throat, leading his gaze to the soft swell of a plump breast. Magnificent. His smart, efficient secretary was sexy as all get-out.
His temperature rose by degrees as she moved to the bar and slid onto a free stool, crossing her legs. Endless legs. The red dress rode up her thigh. She signaled the bartender, and the man jumped to attention as if she’d handed him twenty bucks. Ross understood the feeling; he’d jumped to attention himself.
She ordered and, when her wine came, lifted the glass to her lush red lips. She raised a finger and slid it across her bottom lip, trapping a droplet. He barely suppressed a groan, closing his eyes briefly just to keep his sanity.
This couldn’t be his Miss Prescott. He opened his eyes.
Oh, but it was. Beneath the chatter of voices, the laughter, and the thrum of elevator music, the soft chink of her nails against the glass floated down the length of the bar. His groin tightened. God, there was something about that sound. It sent him into orbit.
He forgot his boredom of late. Miss Prescott in a sexy red dress was a breath of fresh air from the stuffy executive offices he’d been inhabiting, both professionally and personally. He didn’t even mind that Samantha had been over half an hour late before she’d finally gotten around to calling the hotel and giving him a message through the front desk. That was shortly before Kristin arrived.
Samantha was intelligent, witty, and a good conversationalist, with a slightly ribald sense of humor. He continued to admire her business acumen, but her need to dominate the boardroom carried straight through into the bedroom. He enjoyed the woman-on-top position, but lately, Samantha was incapable of doing it in any other way. The lack of variety and her increasingly brittle manner had begun to chafe. The end for them was near. Which would explain why he hadn’t gone out to the lobby to call her when he realized he’d left his cell phone on his desk. He’d actually preferred people-watching. Then Miss Prescott walked in.
The tap-tap of her lightly painted nails beat deep inside. A pale shade of polish, he’d noticed her fresh manicure this afternoon. Suddenly parched, he took a swig of his scotch and soda. She had long, slender fingers. He imagined them on him, scratching his back, kneading his shoulders. All over him. Ah, God. He stood, then picked up his drink.
Limits, political correctness, and the employee handbook be damned. He wanted her. Always had. He sure as hell wasn’t going to let her date—the one she’d obviously dressed to kill for—get to her first.
“Miss Prescott, I almost didn’t recognize you,” he lied smoothly as he took the barstool next to hers. Not a chance he’d have missed her.
His knee brushed hers, then came to rest against her thigh. She didn’t move away, but simply stared at him with those big green eyes.
“Mr....uh...” Her fingers continued tapping, and his blood pulsed in time.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten my name in the space of...” He flipped his wrist to look at his watch. “An hour?”
Something flickered in her eyes, an unreadable flash. She bit her bottom lip. A deep breath plumped her breasts. “I do believe you’ve mistaken me for my sister.”
Shit. He knew she had a twin, but it couldn’t be. He didn’t want it to be. “Your sister?”
She smiled, just a slight curve of her mouth. “You must think I’m Kristin.”
“But you’re...” Damn, he couldn’t even remember the sister’s name. Christ.
“Kirby,” she supplied.
“Ah yes, sorry, I’d forgotten.” He lifted his drink, took a swallow, and moved his knee away from her thigh.
“Well, that’s not very gallant.”
What? Moving his leg or forgetting her name? He didn’t feel gallant, in either case. He felt gutted.
“Don’t you think you ought to introduce yourself?”
“My apologies,” he managed, then stuck out his hand. “Ross Sloan. I’m your sister’s boss.”
She grasped his hand lightly, her fingers cool and moist after caressing her wineglass. A little zing snapped to the tip of his cock, and he held on longer than necessary. A pulse beat at her throat. Then she dropped her gaze and pulled free with a laugh and a bright smile. Her eyes shone with a wattage higher than his secretary’s. Higher and oddly false.
“From your tone, I’d almost think you were disappointed I’m not Kristin, Mr. Sloan. She didn’t think you even knew her first name.”
“Of course I know her name.” The comment made him wonder what Kristin might have said about him to her sister. Flirty, teasing, she didn’t sound like his Miss Prescott, but something about her made him wonder.
She finished the last sip of her wine, set the glass down, and her fingers immediately began tapping the stem. Nerves?
He stared at her nails. He was positive that was the same shade Kristin had worn today. Peach or coral or some such color. Women seemed to have a name for each infinitesimally different shade. Come to think of it, she even smelled the same. A fruity, citrus scent. Every day he knew the exact moment Miss Prescott freshened her hand lotion, the aroma drifting into his office, breaking his concentration, making him think of other places he’d smooth the cream into her skin. They were twins, but down to the same nail polish and hand lotion?
She crossed her legs the other way, moving her thigh even farther from his, then looked around the bar. “I’m afraid I must have missed my friends. I was running a tad late.”
He swallowed the dark liquid in his glass. A subtle pick-up line stating her availability? Or nervous chatter? He couldn’t be sure. She licked her lips and didn’t quite meet his gaze. Primitive instinct told him she was exactly who he wanted her to be, but with a few more minutes and a bit more discourse, he’d be sure.
“Then it’s also my good fortune that my date stood me up.”
Her eyes widened, first surprise, then a flash of something else. Guilt?
Finally she said in a mocking tone, her voice artificially deep and her eyes on her wineglass, “A man admitting he’s been stood up. That’s a first.”
“May I buy you a fresh one?” He indicated her empty glass and added a distinct, “Kirby?”
She hesitated, then said, “Thank you.”
He crooked a finger at the bartender, ordering the same for her and another for himself. “Would you join me at a table?”
A table, where there’d be time enough to confirm her true identity. He’d wager the woman with her tasty thigh two scant inches from his was Kristin. Not her sister Kirby.
I hope you enjoyed the excerpt. Read the first chapter on my website. You can find Double the Pleasure at major e-book retailers, Amazon, B&N, ARe, and Smashwords. It will be available on Sony and Apple soon!
Today is the last day I’m also blogging with my good friend Nikki Prince at http://www.nikkiprince.blogspot.com/. You’ll get an excerpt of the next Prescott Twins book, Skin Deep and by leaving a comment plus your email, you’ll get another chance to win Revenge Sex.
And don’t forget about Submitting to the Boss, West Coast Book 2. It’s still available at the major ebook retailers, Amazon, B&N, ARe, and Smashwords.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Prescott Twins are coming!
Just a quickie to let you know about the Goodreads Giveaway I'm doing for Revenge Sex. All you have to do is enter for a chance to win. So pop on over to Revenge Sex GoodReads Giveaway.
And now on to the rest of the blog...
I’m glad you all enjoyed the excerpt of Submitting to the Boss. And let me announce the winner of Revenge Sex: Lisa Kendall! Congratulations, Lisa, I’ll email you so that I can arrange sending you the copy. In addition to PDF, I’ve now got EPUB and MOBI. And here’s a heads up, I’m going to be doing a giveaway on Goodreads. I just have to figure out how to accomplish that since I’ve never done one before! I’ll update this blog when I have more information. I’m still trying to figure out how to do the widgets!
As I promised, I’ve got more on Double the Pleasure and Skin Deep. The two stories feature the Prescott twins, who are polar opposites. Kristin is prim and proper in Double the Pleasure, Kirby is hot and sexy in Skin Deep. What kind of heroes will attract these two women? I had such fun writing these stories. Double the Pleasure was actually the first story I sold to Liquidsilverbooks.com, then to Berkley Sensation. My current timeline for release is May for Double the Pleasure and June for Skin Deep. For this blog, I want to showcase the fabulous covers Rae Monet made for the series. Wow, I’m just so excited about these covers! I’d love to hear what you think of them.
And remember, I’m also blogging with my good friend Nikki Prince. She’s put up excerpts of KinkyNeighbors, Revenge Sex, and Submitting to the Boss, so pop over to http://nikkiprince.blogspot.com/ for another chance to win Revenge Sex. Incidentally, Nikki just sold her first book, Hot for the Teacher, and I’ll be having her on the blog in the future to tell you all about it.
Of course, Submitting to the Boss is still available at the major ebook retailers, Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Submitting to the Boss, West Coast Book 2
I apologize for being out of touch recently. The last couple of months have been a little hard. But I promised everyone I would have the next West Coast book out by the end of March, and I’m pleased to say I accomplished that goal. I also got back the rights to my two stories in Twin Peaks, my first Berkley book, an anthology with Susan Johnson. Double the Pleasure and Skin Deep are all about the Prescott twins, and I’ll have more for you on their antics in the coming months. Look for Double the Pleasure at the beginning of May and Skin Deep in June.
You all met Ruby in Revenge Sex, West Coast Book 1. She was such a very bad girl. And I really thought she needed to be taught a little lesson. So I gave her to Holt Montgomery in Submitting to the Boss, and he certainly knows how to execute her punishment!
You all met Ruby in Revenge Sex, West Coast Book 1. She was such a very bad girl. And I really thought she needed to be taught a little lesson. So I gave her to Holt Montgomery in Submitting to the Boss, and he certainly knows how to execute her punishment!
Thanks to Rae Monet for the great covers!
Ruby completely underestimated her live-in lover. She thought she had him wrapped around her little finger, and she could do anything she wanted without any consequences. Now she’s just another dumped woman bemoaning her fate.
Then her boss, West Coast Manufacturing’s CEO Holt Montgomery, calls her into his office and gives her the punishment she so richly deserves.
Holt is determined to show Ruby the error of her ways with his own special brand of dominance and submission. Her sexuality now belongs to him, and he’ll give her permission as to when, where, how, and with whom she’ll use it. From voyeurism to exhibitionism to more than one man at a time, with a little tying up and a bit of well-deserved spanking, Ruby discovers she likes following a man’s rules. But she still won’t let a man have the upper hand.
Can their naughty affair move from just sex with the boss to something more lasting? Or will Ruby learn her lessons a little too late?
I’ve also got an excerpt for you. It’s not as naughty as some of my excerpts, but it’s definitely got the innuendo!
Submitting to the Boss
West Coast Series, Book 2
Copyright 2012 Jasmine Haynes
Chapter One
“Ruby, in my office, now,” Holt Montgomery barked over the intercom.
Ruby Williams pressed her lips together, staring at the offending device. It was just before five on Thursday, and Ruby always left at five. Still, she pushed the Talk button obediently. “Yes, Holt.”
She hadn’t found a decent apartment and had been living in a hotel for over a week, since the day Clay kicked her out of his house. All the rumors being bandied about last week had been squashed, and the demise of her three-year relationship with the CFO hadn’t yet made it to West Coast Manufacturing’s gossip mill, but her boss, Holt Montgomery, knew all about it. She couldn’t be sure if Clay had told him the specific reasons why, but they’d been friends and coworkers for twenty years in Silicon Valley, the last ten at West Coast where Clay was chief financial officer to Holt’s chief executive officer. It stood to reason that Clay had told Holt.
And Holt had been treating her...differently. There was a new harshness in his tone when he spoke to her. Like now. Before, Holt would have asked if she had a minute, and he wouldn’t have used the intercom; he’d simply have called out. These were subtle differences, true, but there were other signs. He hadn’t joked with her. He’d rarely smiled at her. Holt had always been an easygoing boss from the day she’d started as his executive admin a little over four years ago. Now it seemed that not only had she screwed up her living arrangements, she’d screwed over her job as well.
There was nothing to do but pick up her pad and pencil and enter the proverbial lion’s den the way he demanded.
Behind his big mahogany desk, surrounded by report folders and his two computer monitors with which he effectively multitasked, Holt Montgomery looked like a captain at the helm of his battle ship. At fifty-two, with a head of thick steel-gray hair and the fit, muscular body of a man fifteen years younger, his bearing inspired respect, awe, and even fear.
Ruby had always felt the respect and awe, but today there was also a smidgen of fear.
“Close the door,” he ordered, his voice deep and hard-edged.
Ruby jumped to do his bidding. Her smaller office was an annex to his much larger one. In many respects, she was his guard dog, vetting all his calls and his visitors. She had to admit she liked the power in that, but with the door closed and the scowl on Holt’s face, she wasn’t feeling particularly powerful.
She’d lost so much more than she could have imagined when Clay kicked her out.
“Sit.” Holt pointed at the chair dead center before his desk.
It was one of the conference chairs, and that wasn’t its normal place. His office was spacious with a six-man conference table, coffee-service trolley, and a sofa grouping by the large window, all this in addition to his massive mahogany desk. He conducted meetings, entertained customers, and signed multimillion-dollar deals in this domain.
That chair was out of place, and Ruby’s tension ratcheted higher. Clay was paying for her hotel, but he wouldn’t do that forever. She had to find a new place, and she needed a job in order to sign a lease.
Holt wouldn’t fire her because of what happened with Clay. Would he?
She sat, wishing she’d worn something more circumspect. But Ruby owned very little that could be called circumspect. Her skirts were short, and her tops had plunging necklines. Holt had never complained.
He stared at her silently. He didn’t even blink, just regarded her with piercing eyes so dark they were almost black. Holt was the only man in the world who made Ruby’s palms sweat. She could wrap most men around her little finger, even Clay—at least until last week. But never Holt. She’d always felt subordinate to Holt, and funnily enough—probably because of her respect for him—it had never been an unpleasant feeling. Until now.
“What can I do for you, Holt?” Her voice seemed to crack, and her mouth was dry.
Finally, he spoke. “You’ve been a very bad girl.”
Ruby swallowed; it hurt going down. “You mean about Clay?” She wasn’t going to admit anything until she knew exactly what Clay had told him.
“Yes,” he said. “You fucked around behind his back.”
Okay, she could explain. She had to explain. “It wasn’t behind his back. He knew. In fact—”
Holt held up his hand, and she didn’t dare go on. That was another thing about Holt: he was the only man Ruby would shut up for. “Don’t prevaricate. I know about your arrangement with Clay.”
Her face flushed. Ruby wasn’t the type to get embarrassed, yet there was something about knowing that Clay had—potentially—revealed all her faults to Holt that made her jumpy. But she wouldn’t cave by asking how much he knew. She’d wait him out.
It didn’t take Holt long to come back at her. “You had sex with a coworker in Clay’s office.”
All right, yes, she’d done that. She hoped that was the only thing Clay had divulged. “Clay and I had a special relationship where he enjoyed my being with other men.” She allowed herself a slight smirk. “And he loved to hear all about it.”
Holt gave her the silent treatment. Maybe the smirk was ill-advised.
Then Ruby just couldn’t shut up despite herself. “That’s what he wanted from the beginning. That was always our relationship. I love sex, and he liked to hear about it. The more the better. It’s what got him off. He...” Her voice died into the echo of her own words. A car drove by on the road visible outside Holt’s window, a big, rumbling diesel engine that set her nerves jangling.
“You didn’t mention the little matter of rules,” he said. His handsome face was granite hard.
She couldn’t believe Clay had told him everything. Clay wouldn’t be so vindictive as to want to ruin her job as well. Her only course of action was to tell the truth. “He liked it when I broke certain rules, so I didn’t think he’d mind if I broke others.”
“But Bradley Palmer?” For the first time, Holt made a face, one of distaste.
She’d been a total idiot. She fully admitted that. “Having sex with him on Clay’s desk was a mistake.” Bradley was young, twenty-nine. His desire had stroked her ego. Not that she didn’t have a healthy ego. At forty, she was hot, and she wasn’t ashamed to say that, but every woman sometimes had a little niggling of doubt, and Bradley caught her at a weak moment. Still, she hadn’t thought Clay would get all riled up. She’d truly thought he’d get off on it.
“And what about the other places you fucked him, Ruby? Not to mention the rumors.”
She felt herself blanch. God. Clay really had told him all. “I didn’t start those rumors, and I made sure they were laid to rest.”
“Damage done, Ruby.”
She almost snorted but thought better of it. “No one ever believed any of that.” Because she’d taken things in hand. And really, by the following week, it was all just a blip on the rumor mill’s timeline. They’d weathered the whole debacle, and Bradley was gone from West Coast’s horizon.
Holt merely stared. It was completely unnerving.
And again, she couldn’t shut up. “Why are you doing this? When I moved in with Clay, you told us business was business and personal was personal.”
“It is. But you brought it here. And against Clay’s wishes.”
She pursed her lips and puffed out a breath. If she wanted to keep her job, she was going to have to grovel. She wasn’t good at it, but she simply couldn’t afford to be fired. Besides, she liked working for Holt. He was fair-minded. Usually. “I made a mistake, and I’m very sorry. I told Clay it would never happen again, and I’m telling you it won’t.”
If he was silent after that, she’d have to scream.
“There’s only one solution,” he said softly. Holt could be dangerous when he spoke that quietly. She’d heard that deadly tone in meetings. And seen the results.
“What?” she asked, her heart racing.
“You need to be punished.” He waited a beat. “Severely.”
Then he rose, strode to the door. And locked it.
Ruby’s pulse began to beat against her eardrums.
-----
I hope you enjoyed that little excerpt from Submitting to the Boss. Now, while you don’t have to read Revenge Sex first because they are stand-alone stories, it’ll help you to understand Ruby’s relationship with Holt. With that in mind, I’m doing a little contest with this release, and I’ll be giving away a PDF copy of Revenge Sex to one randomly selected commenter, which I will announce on my next blog on 4/16. It would help if you left your email address so I can contact the winner. I’m also blogging with my good friend Nikki Prince. I’ll be giving you Chapter Two on her blog, so pop over to http://nikkiprince.blogspot.com/ for another excerpt of Submitting to the Boss and another chance to win Revenge Sex. Incidentally, Nikki just sold her first book, Hot for the Teacher, and I’ll be having her on the blog in the near future to tell you all about it.
You can buy Submitting to the Boss at the major ebook retailers, Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. It will be available Sony and Apple soon!
Then her boss, West Coast Manufacturing’s CEO Holt Montgomery, calls her into his office and gives her the punishment she so richly deserves.
Holt is determined to show Ruby the error of her ways with his own special brand of dominance and submission. Her sexuality now belongs to him, and he’ll give her permission as to when, where, how, and with whom she’ll use it. From voyeurism to exhibitionism to more than one man at a time, with a little tying up and a bit of well-deserved spanking, Ruby discovers she likes following a man’s rules. But she still won’t let a man have the upper hand.
Can their naughty affair move from just sex with the boss to something more lasting? Or will Ruby learn her lessons a little too late?
I’ve also got an excerpt for you. It’s not as naughty as some of my excerpts, but it’s definitely got the innuendo!
Submitting to the Boss
West Coast Series, Book 2
Copyright 2012 Jasmine Haynes
Chapter One
“Ruby, in my office, now,” Holt Montgomery barked over the intercom.
Ruby Williams pressed her lips together, staring at the offending device. It was just before five on Thursday, and Ruby always left at five. Still, she pushed the Talk button obediently. “Yes, Holt.”
She hadn’t found a decent apartment and had been living in a hotel for over a week, since the day Clay kicked her out of his house. All the rumors being bandied about last week had been squashed, and the demise of her three-year relationship with the CFO hadn’t yet made it to West Coast Manufacturing’s gossip mill, but her boss, Holt Montgomery, knew all about it. She couldn’t be sure if Clay had told him the specific reasons why, but they’d been friends and coworkers for twenty years in Silicon Valley, the last ten at West Coast where Clay was chief financial officer to Holt’s chief executive officer. It stood to reason that Clay had told Holt.
And Holt had been treating her...differently. There was a new harshness in his tone when he spoke to her. Like now. Before, Holt would have asked if she had a minute, and he wouldn’t have used the intercom; he’d simply have called out. These were subtle differences, true, but there were other signs. He hadn’t joked with her. He’d rarely smiled at her. Holt had always been an easygoing boss from the day she’d started as his executive admin a little over four years ago. Now it seemed that not only had she screwed up her living arrangements, she’d screwed over her job as well.
There was nothing to do but pick up her pad and pencil and enter the proverbial lion’s den the way he demanded.
Behind his big mahogany desk, surrounded by report folders and his two computer monitors with which he effectively multitasked, Holt Montgomery looked like a captain at the helm of his battle ship. At fifty-two, with a head of thick steel-gray hair and the fit, muscular body of a man fifteen years younger, his bearing inspired respect, awe, and even fear.
Ruby had always felt the respect and awe, but today there was also a smidgen of fear.
“Close the door,” he ordered, his voice deep and hard-edged.
Ruby jumped to do his bidding. Her smaller office was an annex to his much larger one. In many respects, she was his guard dog, vetting all his calls and his visitors. She had to admit she liked the power in that, but with the door closed and the scowl on Holt’s face, she wasn’t feeling particularly powerful.
She’d lost so much more than she could have imagined when Clay kicked her out.
“Sit.” Holt pointed at the chair dead center before his desk.
It was one of the conference chairs, and that wasn’t its normal place. His office was spacious with a six-man conference table, coffee-service trolley, and a sofa grouping by the large window, all this in addition to his massive mahogany desk. He conducted meetings, entertained customers, and signed multimillion-dollar deals in this domain.
That chair was out of place, and Ruby’s tension ratcheted higher. Clay was paying for her hotel, but he wouldn’t do that forever. She had to find a new place, and she needed a job in order to sign a lease.
Holt wouldn’t fire her because of what happened with Clay. Would he?
She sat, wishing she’d worn something more circumspect. But Ruby owned very little that could be called circumspect. Her skirts were short, and her tops had plunging necklines. Holt had never complained.
He stared at her silently. He didn’t even blink, just regarded her with piercing eyes so dark they were almost black. Holt was the only man in the world who made Ruby’s palms sweat. She could wrap most men around her little finger, even Clay—at least until last week. But never Holt. She’d always felt subordinate to Holt, and funnily enough—probably because of her respect for him—it had never been an unpleasant feeling. Until now.
“What can I do for you, Holt?” Her voice seemed to crack, and her mouth was dry.
Finally, he spoke. “You’ve been a very bad girl.”
Ruby swallowed; it hurt going down. “You mean about Clay?” She wasn’t going to admit anything until she knew exactly what Clay had told him.
“Yes,” he said. “You fucked around behind his back.”
Okay, she could explain. She had to explain. “It wasn’t behind his back. He knew. In fact—”
Holt held up his hand, and she didn’t dare go on. That was another thing about Holt: he was the only man Ruby would shut up for. “Don’t prevaricate. I know about your arrangement with Clay.”
Her face flushed. Ruby wasn’t the type to get embarrassed, yet there was something about knowing that Clay had—potentially—revealed all her faults to Holt that made her jumpy. But she wouldn’t cave by asking how much he knew. She’d wait him out.
It didn’t take Holt long to come back at her. “You had sex with a coworker in Clay’s office.”
All right, yes, she’d done that. She hoped that was the only thing Clay had divulged. “Clay and I had a special relationship where he enjoyed my being with other men.” She allowed herself a slight smirk. “And he loved to hear all about it.”
Holt gave her the silent treatment. Maybe the smirk was ill-advised.
Then Ruby just couldn’t shut up despite herself. “That’s what he wanted from the beginning. That was always our relationship. I love sex, and he liked to hear about it. The more the better. It’s what got him off. He...” Her voice died into the echo of her own words. A car drove by on the road visible outside Holt’s window, a big, rumbling diesel engine that set her nerves jangling.
“You didn’t mention the little matter of rules,” he said. His handsome face was granite hard.
She couldn’t believe Clay had told him everything. Clay wouldn’t be so vindictive as to want to ruin her job as well. Her only course of action was to tell the truth. “He liked it when I broke certain rules, so I didn’t think he’d mind if I broke others.”
“But Bradley Palmer?” For the first time, Holt made a face, one of distaste.
She’d been a total idiot. She fully admitted that. “Having sex with him on Clay’s desk was a mistake.” Bradley was young, twenty-nine. His desire had stroked her ego. Not that she didn’t have a healthy ego. At forty, she was hot, and she wasn’t ashamed to say that, but every woman sometimes had a little niggling of doubt, and Bradley caught her at a weak moment. Still, she hadn’t thought Clay would get all riled up. She’d truly thought he’d get off on it.
“And what about the other places you fucked him, Ruby? Not to mention the rumors.”
She felt herself blanch. God. Clay really had told him all. “I didn’t start those rumors, and I made sure they were laid to rest.”
“Damage done, Ruby.”
She almost snorted but thought better of it. “No one ever believed any of that.” Because she’d taken things in hand. And really, by the following week, it was all just a blip on the rumor mill’s timeline. They’d weathered the whole debacle, and Bradley was gone from West Coast’s horizon.
Holt merely stared. It was completely unnerving.
And again, she couldn’t shut up. “Why are you doing this? When I moved in with Clay, you told us business was business and personal was personal.”
“It is. But you brought it here. And against Clay’s wishes.”
She pursed her lips and puffed out a breath. If she wanted to keep her job, she was going to have to grovel. She wasn’t good at it, but she simply couldn’t afford to be fired. Besides, she liked working for Holt. He was fair-minded. Usually. “I made a mistake, and I’m very sorry. I told Clay it would never happen again, and I’m telling you it won’t.”
If he was silent after that, she’d have to scream.
“There’s only one solution,” he said softly. Holt could be dangerous when he spoke that quietly. She’d heard that deadly tone in meetings. And seen the results.
“What?” she asked, her heart racing.
“You need to be punished.” He waited a beat. “Severely.”
Then he rose, strode to the door. And locked it.
Ruby’s pulse began to beat against her eardrums.
-----
I hope you enjoyed that little excerpt from Submitting to the Boss. Now, while you don’t have to read Revenge Sex first because they are stand-alone stories, it’ll help you to understand Ruby’s relationship with Holt. With that in mind, I’m doing a little contest with this release, and I’ll be giving away a PDF copy of Revenge Sex to one randomly selected commenter, which I will announce on my next blog on 4/16. It would help if you left your email address so I can contact the winner. I’m also blogging with my good friend Nikki Prince. I’ll be giving you Chapter Two on her blog, so pop over to http://nikkiprince.blogspot.com/ for another excerpt of Submitting to the Boss and another chance to win Revenge Sex. Incidentally, Nikki just sold her first book, Hot for the Teacher, and I’ll be having her on the blog in the near future to tell you all about it.
You can buy Submitting to the Boss at the major ebook retailers, Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. It will be available Sony and Apple soon!
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